Roleplay

"If you say so." She took a step back, readying herself. "I won't be able to hold it very long." She made a beeline for the unmoving earthan creation. The golem moved it's arm to strike her, but she ducked and the arm slipped into a lasso of pure lightning wrapped around it. Using her monetum, she pulled the arm off to the side, break it's stance and exposing the core for a brief moment. "Now or never!'

The ground around the core started to shift the moment the stake was removed, the core already trying to repair what damage had been done. "Move, but be ready to help me lift the core away from the rest." Sam said, blasting what little rock remained to rubble with precision bolts of lightning.

"Ok. Fine. I can get you the stone. But let's assume for a moment I am even able, much less willing, to get the children out. What then? You will be fine. As you said, you know too much about the individual members of the order. If they are smart, You will likely be placed under strict surveillance at most. But what about them." He nodded down to the fight. "They will be branded deserters. Where will they go? They cannot survive on their own, and even my clan can only hide them for so long, if they even make it that far."

((Seems like we are set then. Now just to finish the fight and have a little one on one.))

The moment the core was exposed, wind gathered behind Nathan to launch him at the construct. Landing on the golem, he closed his eyes before planting a hand flat against its core. Feeling the wards swirl around the point of contact, he set his mind to drawing them into himself as he used his free arm to hold his focus out in the open. In his mind, he could see every trace of magic that flowed through the golem, all coming to a point at the core beneath him.

Feeling a surge of energy flow through her, Morgana moved aside to give a clear shot at the remaining anchors. Once the core was free, she dug her claws into it, feeling it start to push her claws out as she began her efforts to lift on the core itself.

"I can't guarantee them safety, but their best chance is to head for the waters just beyond the Icewarden's domain. While I can't confirm its existence, there is reports of unidentified riders that patrol those waters. Even then, we won't have the resources to search for them anyways. For the same reason you wont be under strict surveillance at their training is done, search parties are out of the question. For lack of better terms, it's the perfect storm for such a thing to take place," Zariman replied, "That's on top of the fact that all scout parties we've sent out that way to investigate the rumors have never returned. Either that group doesn't exist, or they're actively making sure that it's only rumors that escape them."

"We know not how t hey might decide who to trust, assuming they do exist. The only guess we have is that they only attack those baring the Order's brand," Xylon added, "We suspect they have eyes in many high places, so that may help the situation. If they catch wind of Lucy and Nathan, they may even reach out where possible. As for hiding, they need only to avoid major settlements. There are only so many of our Order out there these days."

((So the plan was to have lucy and/or sam blast nathan's focus, right? wanna make sure i get this right. I will assume that is the case unless i hear otherwise.))

(( that was the plan))

((Got it))

The golem froze in place the moment Nathan made contact, focusing all of its energy on maintaining the wards around the core. Sparks of lightning arced between Lucy's fingers, thin wisps of magic trailing from the corners of her eyes as she borrowed a bit of Sam's power. Holding the golem's arm away from Nathan best she could, she held up her hand and blasted the exposed focus with as much energy as she could muster.

Once the core was freed from the anchors, Sam made his way over so that he stood oppisite Morgana and dug his claws in to help try and lift the core out and away from the rest of the body. "Damn, these things work fast." he said, adjusting his grip as the core pushed back, slowly trying to repair itself.

Sans locked his jaw, staring at them in silence for a for a moment, his eyes flicking back and forth as if he was reading some unseen script on unseen parchment. He huffed, defeated. "What you are asking of them is impossible. Even if i join them, it will push them all to, if not beyond, their limits. They are not ready. I do not like it, and, for the record, I advised against it, but i trust you. I will get you your stone, and I will get them out when the time comes." He paused, his eyes draining of all light and his tone becoming deathly serious. "But know this, if something happens to them because of your insistence, or your hunches prove false and i pull them away from their home for nothing, I will come back here, and I will personally level this entire temple brick by brick, no matter who or what stands in my way. That is a promise."

"If that ends up being the case, then I shall welcome my fate with open arms. I doubt there will be a temple to level by the time that would be realized anyways. Prophecy or not, we can't keep Death restrained much longer at this rate. I'd rather give them a chance than to have the perish here against a force they're entirely unprepared to face in their wildest dreams," Zariman replied, pulling small tarnished spike from his robes and holding it out for Sans, "If the day comes for you to track me down, then show any who attempt to stand if your way this token. We may be bound by corrupt tenants, but we do maintain honor. One who refuses someone a rightful challenge will not be suffered to remain in the Order."

At the moment of impact, electricity began to envelope Nathan. Feeling the energy coarse through the focus, he drew a deep breath before letting it flow through him to strike the golem directly. With each relinquished ward he took in, he added more energy to the channeled strike to the point of electricity starting to arch between him and the golem. Struggling to remain conscious, his vision blurred as he pressed to put more energy into the strike.

"I think that's the point," Morgana said, shaking her head as she began to share her will to keep Nathan awake. With Sam lifting on the other side, she felt the core begin to pull free of its confines. Each budge left the push against their claws weaker but more frantic. The golem wasn't going without a fight, but it was a fight it was loosing.

Sans took the spike, turning it over in his hands a few times before storing it away in the pocket of his shirt. "When Death does break free, I hope they are far enough away to avoid it's wrath, and I pray that it does not happen for a while yet." He paused, deep in thought. "I will leave your stone under the plaque at the grave of Morgana's mother tonight at midnight. That should prevent it from being found before you have time to retrieve it."

Lucy could feel the golem's wards falling to nathan's onslaught, but she was hesitant to provide him with a stronger stream of energy, both because she didn't know if nathan could handle it, and she didn't know how deep her own supply of magic went. Making a split second decision, and hoping Sam would be able to sustain the spell if she ran dry, she upped the ante, pouring as much energy as she could into the stream of magic she had aimed at Nathan's focus.

"Then I guess we will have to be faster." Sam said, grunting as he very nearly lost his grip, digging his claws a little deeper, instictivly flapping his wings a few times to try and get a little more leverage. He could feel Lucy's worry, and wrapped his tail around the Pearl that sat inside his pouch, drawing magic from it and feeding it to Lucy, serving to further increase the strength of the blast.

"That will be perfect. Only Morgana will have a reason to go there. I hope that most of the younger riders are clear when it does break free though. When the inevitable happens, there wont be much time to get anyone clear. I just wish that more of us were allowed to know what lies beneath our very feet. At this rate, the order to divulge that information wont even have time to be issued," Zariman said with a nod before turning back to face the fight. Having focused more on the conversation, he had partially blocked out the fight, and was now surprised at the progress they had made. "I do believe we might have underestimated them just a touch."

With the increase in energy pouring in, Nathan bit down on something hidden in his cheek. With renewed vigor, he poured ever bit of his stored magic into the golem. With the sudden increase in energy, the arching electricity grew in intensity as it started chipping away at the core itself. Pulling back for a brief moment, Nathan balled his hand into a fist before striking the golem once more with the collective might he now had, aiming to push through the core.

Spreading her wings wide, Morgana used them to add more force to their attempts. When the core had moved enough to get her claws beneath it, she pushed her claws under it to get a better grip. As the core was pried from its socket, the outer reaches of the golem's body began to crumble as the connection was lost. "By the flames beyond, I will not let this golem beat us," she huffed before locking her jaws to the core to further add to her grip.

"Then that is where i will put it. Midnight tonight. It is truly a shame that the council has withheld such information, but i see the logic behind it, even if it is skewed. The only reason I know is because I went looking and stumbled upon it on accident." He said, following Zariman's gaze and turning his full attention to the sparring ring. His eyes narrowed as he watched Nathan. "Perhaps we did." He said, a glimmer of pride in his eye. "Though they will need a short break. All of them have pushed themselves to the limit. They have earned it."

Sam followed Morgana's lead. Once the core was high enough that he could slip his claws under it, he did so, gripping it with all the strength he could muster and lifting. "Just think of it as a giant pearl." he told himself aloud. "One, giant, heavy, pearl." With one final heave upwards, the connection snapped, the golem crumbling as the core ceased fighting against them.

The core cracked around the point of impact, holding for a moment as it made one last push before it crumbled, buckling under the force of the impact and shattering, the golem's body crumbling to dust. Lucy took a knee, out of breath. "Remind me never to do that again." she said, completely out of breath.

Feeling the golem crumble beneath him, Nathan pushed off to keep from being trapped in rubble. "If it can be helped, I don't think we will need to," he said, picking himself from where he had landed. Starting at the elbow, his right arm had become covered in light burns, turning to soot as it continued to his hand. Moving to the edge of the sparring field, he flopped onto his back to rest. "I might look into making myself a gauntlet to keep this from happening again," he said, holding up his arm before letting it drop as soreness crept into him, "Still not the most comfortable tactic ever though."

With the golem crumbling beneath them, Morgana pushed to roll the core away from the socket before letting go. "Let us never find any of these in the wild," she said, starting to dig for the stake in the rubble, "I can only imagine what this fight would have been like if it wasn't an even playing field."

"Yes, a rest and a good meal are definitely in order. I didn't exactly expect them to take both down. I was more expecting to have to freeze both golems, and teach them how to properly take out such an enemy while they rested. While it wasn't the most efficient method, it's effective," Zariman said, stepping towards the ring to lend a hand to both Lucy and Nathan.

"I must commend you four. Very few can handle a fight like this without specific training first," Zariman said, lifting Nathan to his feet and providing support, "Aside from a few exceptions, i'd say you're all ready to take on anything the world can throw at you."